dark days
by Amata le Fay
Summary: AU. Si vis pacem, para bellum. Welcome to Panem Majestatis, and take a glimpse into the future of what might have been. We must study history, or else it is doomed to repeat itself.


**Title: _dark days_**

**Rating: PG13**

**Category: AU**

**Word Count: 887**

**Summary: We must study history, or else it is doomed to repeat itself.**

**A/N: Written for Starvation Forum's Clever, Crazy, Completely Non-Canon Challenge.**

"_Welcome, friends, _all_ citizens of the noble country of Panem Majestatis."_

Clovis Acer always snorted a little when she heard that line. It just seemed so _fake_. Of course, it didn't help that it was pounded into her head year after year after bloody year. Could Capitolis at least _try_ to make their speeches a bit more, well... exciting? Varied? _Relevant?_

Of course, it wasn't like Capitolis could change their entire view of history. Which, of course, was exactly what this was.

"_Every year, people of Panem, we bring the nation together to strengthen the ties between Capitolis and its loyal followers. We must recount our past in order to look forward to a brighter future. We must never allow ourselves to retrogress into the Dark Days."_

"Of course not," giggled Glimmere. The pretty, blonde doll of a girl was standing about a foot away from Clove and looking up at the woman at the podium in absolute admiration. She had been Transferred from District I to District II as part of the Unification Act, and even though she had lived in the district for nearly three years, she had stubbornly refused to get rid of her accent.

Clove loathed that accent. It was so unprofessional for a warrior of Glimmere's (supposed) status. It made everything sound trivial, and II was not a place where triviality was accepted. In Capitolis or I, maybe, but not in II.

"_As history tells us, the nation of Panem rose out of a series of wars. The ancient continent of North America was ripped apart by endless fighting and natural disasters. The people of North America were weak. They did not know honor or strength. They could not stand to fight for their country, so their country fought against them. Soon, nothing but the strongest survived."_

Survival of the strongest. Honor. What Majestatis was really about.

Despite all its flaws, Clove loved her country dearly.

"_But there were weaklings even among the new nation. The country had been divided up into twelve districts. Those districts that served Capitolis well were rewarded; those who did not obey were punished. The disobedient weaklings of the lower districts grew angry and restless. Led by the fearmongering traitors of District Thirteen, they marched on Capitolis, demanding change."_

Dramatic pause. Cato, who stood to Clove's right, yawned tastelessly.

"_They demanded change, so we gave it to them. Capitolis decreed that the rebel districts would be cut off completely from the rest of the country. They would have to fend for themselves, deprived of the luxuries given to them by Capitolis. Only I, II, and IV chose to stay._

"_Shortly afterward, District Three was attacked by its fellow rebel districts. Seeking refuge, its leaders crawled back to Capitolis and begged to be let back into Panem Majestatis."_

Everyone's eyes shifted over to the back of the crowd, where the Transfers from III stood, heads bowed in shame. They were the lower class of the country, the poor ones, but they deserved it for not being strong. This was what happened to turncoats.

Clove caught the glance of one man, a Transfer from twenty years ago. Everyone knew his story. Beetee Tellus, the inventor. Originally Transferred to Capitolis, moved to II for rebellious behavior. Apparently he had been planting microscopic bugs in Capitol headquarters, sending a live feed to private information back to III, where his partner in crime, Wiress Bentel, redirected it to the radio waves of the Confederation of Allied Districts. _The rebels' country._

He had been moved to II for a lifetime of poverty and punishment, living in a military jail cell; she had been electrocuted in a Capitol prison. Their story was taught in schools as a cautionary tale.

"_The traitorous Confederation attacked District Three because they could not bear to face their own problems! They were not strong! They were not victors! They were stupid, boastful fools who had neither the wisdom to bow down nor the courage to stand alone. They truly do not deserve to live._

"_Which is why, here in Panem Majestis, we train warriors. We will fight the Confederation until it sink down into the dust. Surely we will win! My friends, my countrymen, si vis pacem, para bellum."_

A phrase, of course, which everyone knew. _If you wish for peace, prepare for war. _Clove, Cato, Glimmere—everyone in II took that phrase to heart. It was why III had to suffer, why Wiress Bentel had to die, why that spy from IV, Annie Cresta, had been driven insane. Why Generals Brutus and Enobaria were honored with wealth beyond measure. Why Cinna Helvius, a mere poet from Capitolis, had been crushed to death by a mob.

Why Coriolanus Snow ruled with an iron fist.

Truly, Clovis Acer loved her country dearly.

"_And now, the time you have all been waiting for... the Unifcation Act... every year, one boy and one girl Transferred from one district to another and to Capitolis, to provide stability and wholeness to the state... and ensure peace for everyone in Panem Majestatis."_

Cato and Clove, of course, were sent to Capitolis. They were the best warriors, and the most patriotic, too. And they were not going to let Panem down.


End file.
